From Corsica to the Fourth Rome

"Open the door! Let the judges come forward!"

"It's time for those robe nobles to fulfill their duties!"

"Can the people in the Palace of Justice turn a blind eye to the evil deeds committed by Madame Du Barry?!"

"Stop testing our patience!"

In front of the gate of the Palace of Justice, the people gathered here were still shouting loudly, throwing their heartfelt demands to this ancient palace that symbolizes the dignity of justice in all France.

But as time passed by, people's demands were like a few pebbles thrown into the ocean, without causing any response in the Palace of Justice. Face to face with them were still the dozens of police officers who were waiting in full array. Soldier.

This boring and powerless waiting gradually angered the people on the Ile de la Cité.

The people also knew that they did not have much time to waste in front of the Palace of Justice.

Once reinforcements from the police force or the French Army intervene, these unarmed citizens have no choice but to bury their anger and grievances deep in their hearts and flee back to the cruel reality.

This is something that the demonstrators must not accept. This unprecedented grand rally that embodies the unity and fighting spirit of thousands of people must not end in vain.

Facing the locked door, a radical argument gradually emerged among the people who were waiting to no avail:

If the selfish, arrogant, corrupt and law-breaking nobles of the High Court of Justice are unwilling to perform their sacred duties, then the citizens should take their place and drive those corpse-seeking worms out of the Palace of Justice, and let the people of Paris take over the High Court of Justice to hold trials. .

Soon, this idea was generally recognized by the people present.

Angry demonstrators began a second assault on the Palace of Justice.

Under the command of Oga Kumas, eight strong men found a wooden stake as thick as a bowl on the spot, used it as a battering ram, and tried their best to hit the wooden stake again and again. A large arch blocked them.

The surrounding people acted as military musicians. They sang the percussive beats for the eight strong men, just like the trackers on the banks of the Seine River shouting loudly.

Whenever the wooden pile made a dent in the arch, a burst of high cheers would erupt among the people, which meant that they were one step closer to defending their rights and dignity.

More demonstrators tried to climb directly over the wall of the Palace of Justice.

The high wall of more than twenty feet could not stop these enthusiastic people at all. They built human ladders among themselves and climbed up the towering wall on each other's shoulders, just to reach this area that they were not qualified to do before. Step into the palace.

And looking at the endless crowds surging towards the Palace of Justice, the police and soldiers inside the door were already breaking out in cold sweat, clenching their muskets as if facing a powerful enemy.

The soldiers hurriedly fired two rounds of warning shots, but this time, the gunfire was completely unable to scare away these high-spirited demonstrators. The explosion of gunpowder was almost instantly lost in the cheers of the crowd. Not even an echo could be heard.

A police sergeant in charge looked at the endless sea of ​​people in a daze.

In his more than twenty years of military career, he had never seen such a scene in Paris. He never imagined that those cowardly citizens would have the courage to raise their arms and shout.

After a brief trance, the sergeant gritted his teeth and ordered his subordinates to strap the muskets back to their backs. Facing the surging sea of ​​people, the muskets in their hands had no effect at all.

"Damn it, what are those nobles in court uniform doing? Why haven't they come forward now?"

The sergeant spat angrily and cursed mercilessly:

"And the guards of the Palace of Justice Prison, where have they gone?! Aren't you afraid that these mobs will overthrow the prison!"

Of course, no one at the scene could answer his question.

All the soldiers can do now is to retreat step by step in front of the approaching citizens, not daring to have any direct conflict with them.

And just as the angry people gradually surged towards the Palace of Justice, they were on the top floor of the main hall of the Palace of Justice.

“What a big mess”

Next to Justice Mopu, an old man in a purple robe frowned and looked at the chaos in the courtyard, and said in a deep voice:

"The last time the Palace of Justice was forcibly broken into was probably during the Fronde rebellion."

Justice Mopu looked at the situation below expressionlessly and did not speak to the old man. There seemed to be a lot of discord between the two.

After all, this old man is the second owner of the Palace of Justice and President of the Paris High Court, Edmond Lavas de Saint-Denis.

Due to Justice Maupp's strong push for judicial reform, the French justice and former president of the Paris High Court had an extremely tense relationship with the high court, and his relationship with President Edmond was naturally not much better.

Although the two are jointly in charge of the Palace of Justice, this is the first time in many years that Edmund Court has stepped into Justice Maupp's office.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Dean Edmund glanced at Justice Mopp calmly, without feeling embarrassed, and continued in a calm tone:

"But in this case, you have enough reasons to start the trial of Madame Du Barry, right?"

Justice Maupp nodded slightly. The person who could make these two political opponents stand side by side was naturally their common enemy - Madame Du Barry.

After all, Madame Du Barry is also a staunch judicial reformer. If there is an opportunity to get rid of this powerful enemy around the king, Dean Edmund will definitely seize it without hesitation.

In addition to this reason, the High Court has always been a loyal ally of the Duke of Choiseul, so when Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe approached Dean Edmond, he directly agreed to join the crusade against Madame Du Barry. middle.

Of course, Dean Edmund did not know the entire plan, and he had only one task from Lieutenant General Philippe - to cooperate with Justice Maupe and rule against Madame Du Barry in the name of the High Court.

"With the help of the popular riots, the trial was carried out in a smooth manner. Even if His Majesty the King asks for guilt, it can be said that it is a forced and helpless act coerced by the people. His Majesty the King will not know the details of the scene anyway."

Dean Edmund looked at the demonstrators who broke into the door and said with emotion:

"I have to say, you are really smart. There is one thing I don't understand about Monsignor Maupe. Can the High Court's judgment alone really allow His Majesty the King to expel Madame Du Barry?"

Justice Mopp slowly shook his head and said succinctly: "No, I don't know either."

"Are you not sure?" Dean Edmund suddenly frowned, his relaxed and carefree expression disappeared in an instant, and he asked repeatedly:

"If His Majesty the King's focus is on the forcible trial of Madame Du Barry by the High Court, there will be no good end for you and me. Don't you even know this?!"

Faced with this shocking question, Justice Mopu shook his head without changing his expression and said:

"This is all the plan of His Excellency Bonaparte, and I am just the executor."

"You mean Laurence Bonaparte? No wonder I saw him in the palace just now."

Dean Edmund was stunned for a moment, frowned and said:

"But you and Lieutenant General Jacques Philippe actually let that political amateur handle all this? How arrogant."

Justice Mopp didn't seem to want to talk too much with Dean Edmund. He took one last look at the people who broke into the courtyard, and said as he walked out:

"Political amateurs are not suitable to describe His Excellency Bonaparte. As long as you have worked with him, you will know. Okay, it's time for the two of us to leave. If we don't come forward, these unscrupulous people will probably tear down the entire Palace of Justice. "

Dean Edmund froze thoughtfully for a moment, then quickened his pace to follow Justice Mopp.

"Wait, look! The judges are out!"

Just when the indignant people were about to break into the main hall of the Palace of Justice and take over the court, they saw Justice Maupp and Dean Edmund calmly walking out of the main hall surrounded by judges and guards. come out.

Dean Edmund put his hands behind his back, swept a circle of demonstrators gathered around him, and asked loudly:

"I am Edmond Lavas de Saint-Denis, President of the Paris Superior Court and second owner of the Palais de Justice. Citizens, why are you gathered here?"

These knowing words instantly caused a high-pitched sound, and the roar of the mountain and the tsunami rolled in. The noisy shouts of the people finally unified neatly:

“Madame Du Barry’s crimes are so great, can the High Court sit idly by and do nothing?!”

"Sanctions must be carried out!"

"Yes! Judge her!"

"Judgement!"

"Judgement!"

Dean Edmund nodded heavily, raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, symbolically swept a circle around the silent judges, and then announced loudly:

"Citizens, I hear your appeal. Although from a judicial perspective, the Paris Supreme Court, as the highest court of appeal, should not directly accept this lawsuit, I have also heard about the crimes of the Countess du Barry; I think "If the existence of the law cannot punish evil and promote good, then I will feel ashamed every day in the Palace of Justice."

Listening to this righteous speech, the people present could not help but be stunned for a moment.

They originally thought that these conservative and decadent worms in the Palace of Justice would rely on their overwhelming power to reject the appeals of like little people like them without hesitation.

Especially for a big man like Dean Edmund, the citizens did not expect that he would come forward in person and agree to everyone's request.

In many people's expectations, those high-ranking nobles in robes would just huddle in their luxurious palaces and stay shut.

Almost no one would have thought that things would go so smoothly. Even Oga Kumas in the crowd couldn't help but be startled for a moment, and then he reacted and said to himself in shock:

"Is this also an arrangement of His Excellency Bonaparte?!"

In the center of the crowd, Dean Edmund looked at the slightly dull people and continued to announce loudly:

"In my capacity as President of the Paris High Court, I accept this class action lawsuit and hereby appoint His Excellency the Chancellor of France, Monsignor de Maupe, to be the presiding judge of this trial. A public trial for the crimes of Madame Du Barry will begin immediately. Without delay!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Justice Mopu stepped forward and expressed his acceptance to be the presiding judge of this ruling.

And when the people looked at the justice, who was wearing a crimson robe and had a resolute expression, they couldn't help but exclaimed:

"It's actually Mr. Mopu?!"

"He is the leader of the entire judicial community. I really didn't expect that he would try Madame Du Barry personally."

"Great, that bitch won't escape this trial!"

A trial convened by the President of the Paris High Court in person, with the French Chancellor as the presiding judge, is undoubtedly the highest standard in the entire French judicial community.

Cheers like a mountain roar and a tsunami suddenly resounded in the courtyard square of the Palace of Justice. This excitement and joy spread like water waves around the Palace of Justice. News could be heard in the distance almost every minute or so. The crowd burst into new cheers.

Even Colonel Giovanni, who was on duty at one end of the St. Louis Bridge, couldn't help being stunned for a long time after hearing the news. It took a few minutes to come back to his senses and said to himself in a daze:

"The High Court has agreed to try Madame Du Barry?! Is this also the work of His Excellency Bonaparte? But how can His Majesty the King accept the judgment of the High Court?"

After more than twenty minutes of simple arrangements, the trial court was set up directly in the courtyard square of the Palace of Justice so that more citizens could directly witness the moment when that damn woman was put on trial.

Fifty-two voting judges in gray robes and black hats sit on both sides of the main hearing table. They are all formal judges of the Paris High Court, and their voting results will directly determine whether a person has committed a crime.

Countless people have gathered around the court, blocking the entire Palace of Justice and even the Ile de la Cité. Everyone is looking forward to that historic moment.

The scene was completely silent, and the people subconsciously held their breath.

Under the gaze of everyone, Justice Mopu stood on the presiding platform. Without too many opening remarks, he directly announced the start of the trial:

"The person under trial is summoned. Enter the Countess du Barry!"

There was no response from the scene.

The people were not surprised by this. Madame Du Barry must have been taking a nap in the conservatory of the Tuileries Palace at this time. No one expected the Palace of Justice to kidnap the king's mistress from the palace to the scene for trial. .

Although it is a pity not to be able to see the woman accept the verdict, for the citizens, what they are most concerned about is how the High Court will ultimately convict Madame Du Barry.

As for whether the trial in absentia has legal effect, this is not a matter of concern to the citizens at all.

Justice Mopp paused deliberately, looking across the crowd of people in the audience, and was not in a hurry to continue the process.

It was at this time that a loud shout suddenly broke the tranquility in the courtyard:

"Madame du Barry has arrived!"

The sound was like thunder rising from the ground, instantly attracting the attention of everyone present.

People subconsciously turned their heads to look at the door of the Palace of Justice, wondering which idiot was still joking in a sensational manner at this time.

However, what caught their eyes was a woman with unkempt hair and mud all over her body.

She was like a doll without any movements or expressions. Her arms were weakly held by two strong men, with her feet dangling in the air. She just walked through the crowded crowd and slowly moved towards the trial stand.

No citizen knew who this woman was, and no one believed that she was the famous Countess Du Barry, the king's mistress who was the most powerful of all.

Because this woman is so down and out, even rural housewives will not let their long skirts be stained with mud, let alone have their hair styled so that the ends of their muddy hair hang down on their faces.

Although her face is indeed sweet and charming, the citizens still cannot connect this woman with the identity of Madame Du Barry. She looks more like a woman who ran away from a mental hospital. madman.

Justice Mopu said nothing, quietly waiting for the woman to be brought to the trial, and then greeted in a deep voice:

"We meet again, Countess du Barry, but at this moment, please forgive me for having to call you, Jeanne Béqué on trial."